In the latest reveal of NBA awards this season, Oklahoma City Thunder GM Sam Presti was officially named as the 2024-25 Executive of the Year. In a panel of 30 executives across all 30 teams, Presti was the leading vote-getter with 74 total votes.
Presti earned 10 first-place votes, enough to make a sizeable gap between Cleveland’s Kobe Altman and Detroit’s Trajan Langdon, who were second and third on the ballot. Rafael Stone and Lawrence Frank were the final ones in the top five, earning 38 points and 12 points, respectively.
The criteria for Executive of the Year aren’t always consistent, but it’s typically given to the NBA GM or President who makes the best moves for their organization. This year, while Presti didn’t make any major changes to his roster, the success is still credited to him, given that he’s the one who built the team from scratch over several years.
“An award such as this is really the result of our players and their commitment to our program,” said Presti in a statement. “They push themselves in all capacities for the good of the team. I’m fortunate to work with this particular collection of men, and I do not take their professionalism for granted… I’m extremely humbled to be recognized by my peers, it is a privilege to be a member of such a talented group of basketball executives that work in the NBA today, and I’m thankful for the relationships I’ve enjoyed with them over the years.”
Presti, 47, has been the Thunder’s GM since 2007, but this is the first time he’s been recognized as the executive of the year. While many fans feel that Lakers GM Rob Pelinka deserved to win for his hand in the Luka Doncic trade, Presti deserved the honor for assembling what might be the best team in the league right now.
Under Presti’s watch, the Thunder have several 50-win seasons and a trip to the NBA Finals in 2012. His elite ability at finding and developing talent led him to draft Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, who went on to become one of the team’s most formidable duos.
After Durant left, Presti kept the Thunder competitive by making a trade for Paul George, who experienced some of the best stretches of his career. When PG wanted out, Presti used him in a sign-and-trade for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who is the frontrunner for MVP this season with averages of 32.7 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 6.4 assists per game.
By building around Shai and adding talent in the form of Chet Holmgren, Jaylen Williams, and Lu Dort, Presti made the Thunder into a top contender in the West with an impressive record to match. After going 68-14 in the regular season, the Thunder are 4-1 in the playoffs so far and are favored to beat the Nuggets in the first round.
Whether they win or lose, the Thunder are in a great spot, thanks to Presti. They have stars, they have draft picks, and they have plenty of nice young players that can help them stay competitive for the next 10 years or more.
